Force-fed Vomit and Death Threats: Singapore’s Appalling Case of Abuse

A Singaporean couple has been jailed for horrendous abuses of their domestic worker in what prosecutors called “arguably one of the worst of its kind.”

Chia Yun Ling and her husband Tay Wee Kiat force-fed domestic worker Moe Moe Than with a funnel, made her eat her own vomit, and threatened to kill her parents back in Myanmar if she reported the mistreatment.

And this isn’t the first time the Singaporean couple has been punished for abuses; two years ago they were sentenced to jail for beating and kicking their Indonesian domestic worker, even making her clean the house in her underwear. They have yet to serve their sentences.

The South China Morning Post reports:

“In the present case, the accused persons had systematically and persistently abused Moe Moe Than both physically and psychologically throughout the period of her employment,” state prosecutors told the court.

One charge said Chia, a former senior sales manager, force-fed the maid a mixture of rice and sugar through a funnel after the helper told her she did not have enough food to eat.

This caused the victim to choke and she ran to the toilet to throw up, the charge said.

Chia followed, scolded and slapped the maid, and instructed her to throw up into a plastic bag “and thereafter (made) to eat her own vomit,” the charge added.

In this case of abuse of Moe Moe Than, District Judge Olivia Low sentenced Chia Yun Ling, to 47 months in prison and ordered her to pay a fine. Her husband, Tay Wee Kiat was jailed for 24 months.

Singapore has some 250,000 migrant domestic workers from across Asia, and the country has recently taken a tough stance against employers who abuse their employees.

In February, a Singaporean salon manager was jailed for three years for forcing her Myanmar domestic worker to pour hot water on herself.

In addition, one year ago the High Court of Singapore increased the jail time of a Singaporean couple who starved their Filipina domestic worker.